While the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament rolled into round three at New York’s Flushing Meadows on Wednesday night, in Manhattan, Chase hosted a cocktail party with tennis legend Andy Roddick, who moderated a live recording of his podcast called “Served with Andy Roddick” with special guest Seal. The Grammy-winning artist is a tennis super fan and a personal friend of Roddick. The two gave thought provoking insights on an array of topics, including this year’s U.S. Open and tennis fashion.
An intimate crowd gathered at the Seaport’s Pier 17 for the party, which was an exclusive invite to only Chase Sapphire Reserve card members via Ultimate Rewards. The lucky attendees were treated to an open bar that handed out the popular Honey Deuce cocktail drinks, which has become the U.S. Open’s signature beverage. Guests also enjoyed passed hors-d’oeuvres that included sliders and chicken skewers. But, the highlight of the evening was listening to a live tennis podcast recording of “Served with Andy Roddick.”
Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
The retired 41-year-old grand slam winner’s prolific podcast is full of fascinating tidbits and breaks down all things tennis from Roddick’s personal experiences and perspectives from his storied career. During his chat at Pier 17, Roddick was joined by his producer Mike, veteran tennis reporter Jon Wertheim, and Seal for a panel discussion, and continued to offer more intriguing insights about the U.S. Open and the rise in popularity of tennis.
“I thought there was going to be a vacuum of interest in tennis. We lose names like [Roger] Federer, Serena [Williams], we’re going to lose Rafa [Nadal] sooner rather than later, Novak [Djokovic] is going to play until he’s like 55—he’s like some sort of cyborg—Venus [Williams] as well. We’re seeing less and less of her. And that generally means the sport will suffer at scale,” said Roddick. “That’s not what happened. To give you some context, Major League Baseball teams draw 700 to 800 thousand fans per season. At [U.S. Open’s] Fan Week, there were 250,000 fans last week and most of the events were free and for $30 you could see [Carlos] Alcaraz share the same court along with guys like John [McEnroe] … we’re not worried at all.”
Roddick has won 32 singles titles throughout his career, including one grand slam singles title at the 2003 U.S. Open after defeating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in three straight sets. Roddick is the last American to win the singles U.S. Open Men’s Tournament title. “I’m a huge fan of you Andy. I loved watching you as a player and I love listening to you as a podcaster because if you want common sense and logic and straight talk, and deep insight, it’s a game and you have to look no further than Andy,” Seal told the audience about his love and respect for Roddick. Returning the praise, the tennis star described Seal as amongst the “most passionate tennis supporters on Earth, and anyone I have ever met.”
During the conversation, Seal revealed he plays tennis every day calling it the “most counterintuitive thing I’ve done.” He began taking lessons about five years ago and finds it a form of therapy. “I don’t think of anything else while playing,” said Seal. He also admitted that when he’s on tour, he makes sure that a tennis court is nearby. He loves the game so much but has no intentions of wanting to become a professional tennis player. “I’m solely focused on the task at hand and that’s getting the ball over the net… but it’s a big role in my life.”
Following the live podcast recording, guests participated in a competitive trivia contest where winners took home a Wilson tennis racket. Then guests had a chance to interact with Roddick and Seal during an audience Q&A. One gentleman asked Roddick about his past style and fashion sensibilities on the court, especially about wearing a visor. Roddick stopped putting on one after his coach, Brad Gilbert, told him to no longer don one.
“I rarely cared,” said Roddick about his clothes. “They show you a lot of slides and I didn’t put a lot of thought into it.” As for the visor, “I often wondered—and Gilbert got rid of that, he had this whole thing—if I would have more hair if I kept the visor. I wish I could go back and run that experiment,” he said. “What I should have done was—immediately after Brad and I had split up and just to be passive aggressive—bring it back. That’s what I should have done!”
The party ended on a high note with attendees taking home a swag bag filled with goodies that included a Wilson classic visor, a Homesick premium scented Tennis League candle, and a signed tennis ball by Roddick. Wednesday’s cocktail party with Roddick is just one example of the many perks offered to Chase members during the U.S. Open. Another bonus is that all Chase card members have the chance to book a reservation at the Chase Lounge located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Once a reservation is confirmed, guests can enjoy complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, free hats, custom embroidery, and complimentary happy hour, before heading to their ticketed match and witnessing some of the greatest moments in tennis history.
